One Punch Man

4:04 AM
Posted by
Matovu Brian

The latest addition to the Weekly Shonen Jump line-up is One Punch Man, an INSANE superhero comic series by ONE and Yusuke Murata, the artist of Eyeshield 21. One Punch Man is currently serialized as a webcomic on Shueisha's Young Jump website, and is currently up to two collected print volumes.

The premise of the story is simple: Saitama is a bald-headed young man who has an incredible superpower: he can knock the crap out of any opponent with just ONE PUNCH. No matter how big, fierce, fast, or strong his opponents are, Saitama can end the fight just by landing one extremely potent blow.

The downside to being this powerful and invincible? Well, it can be pretty boring to win all the time. So as adversary after adversary crosses his path, Saitama is practically yawning, as his opponents come barreling toward him, hollering their battle cries and boasts, and inevitably are defeated.

What makes One Punch Man more than just a one-joke comic is how ONE and Murata cheerfully tweak the conventions of superhero comics and shonen battle manga, and mock it mercilessly and hilariously. The other reason why One Punch Man kicks butt is Murata's artwork. Eyeshield 21 fans already know that Murata a master of drawing action-packed adventure. His characters are so expressive and dynamic; each has a distinct look and personality that is recognizable, even when they're drawn as background characters.

But even I was wowed to see the leaps and bounds Murata has made with this new series. He uses digital effects, perspective, and cinematic composition in a way that will astound you -- especially as the series progresses.